Metal-insulator-metal capacitors on glass substrates

ABSTRACT

This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus for metal-insulator-metal capacitors on glass substrates. In one aspect, an apparatus may include a glass substrate, with the glass substrate defining at least one via in the glass substrate. A first electrode layer may be disposed over surfaces of the glass substrate, including surfaces of the at least one via. A dielectric layer may be disposed on the first electrode layer. A second electrode layer may be disposed on the dielectric layer, with the dielectric layer electrically isolating the first electrode layer from the second electrode layer.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to capacitor devices and moreparticularly to metal-insulator-metal capacitor devices on glasssubstrates.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED TECHNOLOGY

Electromechanical systems (EMS) include devices having electrical andmechanical elements, actuators, transducers, sensors, optical components(including mirrors) and electronics. Electromechanical systems can bemanufactured at a variety of scales including, but not limited to,microscales and nanoscales. For example, microelectromechanical systems(MEMS) devices can include structures having sizes ranging from about amicron to hundreds of microns or more. Nanoelectromechanical systems(NEMS) devices can include structures having sizes smaller than a micronincluding, for example, sizes smaller than several hundred nanometers.Electromechanical elements may be created using deposition, etching,lithography, and/or other micromachining processes that etch away partsof substrates and/or deposited material layers, or that add layers toform electrical and electromechanical devices.

One type of EMS device is called an interferometric modulator (IMOD). Asused herein, the term interferometric modulator or interferometric lightmodulator refers to a device that selectively absorbs and/or reflectslight using the principles of optical interference. In someimplementations, an interferometric modulator may include a pair ofconductive plates, one or both of which may be transparent and/orreflective, wholly or in part, and capable of relative motion uponapplication of an appropriate electrical signal. In an implementation,one plate may include a stationary layer deposited on a substrate andthe other plate may include a reflective membrane separated from thestationary layer by an air gap. The position of one plate in relation toanother can change the optical interference of light incident on theinterferometric modulator. Interferometric modulator devices have a widerange of applications, and are anticipated to be used in improvingexisting products and creating new products, especially those withdisplay capabilities.

Capacitor devices or capacitors may be used in implementations of EMSdevices and/or associated with systems in which EMS devices areimplemented. One type of capacitor device, for example, is ametal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor. With smaller capacitors, anincrease in the capacitance density compared to larger capacitors may beused to supply the same capacitance as a larger capacitor.

SUMMARY

The systems, methods and devices of the disclosure each have severalinnovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for thedesirable attributes disclosed herein.

One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this disclosurecan be implemented in an apparatus including a glass substrate with theglass substrate defining at least one first via in the glass substrate.A first electrode layer may be disposed over surfaces of the glasssubstrate, including surfaces of the at least one first via. Adielectric layer may be disposed on the first electrode layer. A secondelectrode layer may be disposed on the dielectric layer. The dielectriclayer may electrically isolate the first electrode layer from the secondelectrode layer.

In some implementations, a dielectric adhesion layer may be disposed onthe surfaces of the glass substrate, including the surfaces of the atleast one first via. The first electrode layer may be disposed on thedielectric adhesion layer. In some implementations, the dielectricadhesion layer may include an oxide. In some implementations, the glasssubstrate may be an interposer. At least one second through glass viadefined in the glass substrate may include a conductive materialconfigured to electrically connect a first electronic component to asecond electronic component.

In some implementations, the apparatus may further include a seconddielectric layer disposed on the second electrode layer and a thirdelectrode layer disposed on the second dielectric layer. The seconddielectric layer may electrically isolate the second electrode layerfrom the third electrode layer.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in thisdisclosure can be implemented an apparatus including a glass substratewith the glass substrate defining at least one via in the glasssubstrate. A first electrode layer may be disposed over surfaces of theglass substrate, including surfaces of the at least one via. Theapparatus may further include a second electrode layer and means forelectrically isolating the first electrode layer from the secondelectrode layer.

In some implementations, the apparatus may further include means forimproving the adhesion of the first electrode layer to the surfaces ofthe glass substrate. In some implementations, the glass substrate mayfurther include means for electrically connecting a first electroniccomponent to a second electronic component.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in thisdisclosure can be implemented in a method including forming at least onevia in a glass substrate. A first electrode layer may be deposited oversurfaces of the glass substrate, including surfaces of the at least onevia. A dielectric layer may be deposited on the first electrode layer. Asecond electrode layer may be deposited on the dielectric layer.

In some implementations, a dielectric adhesion layer may be deposited onthe surfaces of the glass substrate, including the surfaces of the atleast one via, with the first electrode layer being deposited on thedielectric adhesion layer. In some implementations, the dielectricadhesion layer may be deposited using an atomic layer depositionprocess. In some implementations, the method may further include formingat least one through glass via in the glass substrate. Forming the atleast one via and the at least one through glass via may be performedsubstantially simultaneously.

Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter describedin this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and thedescription below. Although the examples provided in this disclosure areprimarily described in terms of electromechanical systems (EMS) andmicroelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based displays, the conceptsprovided herein may apply to other types of displays, such as liquidcrystal displays, organic light-emitting diode (“OLED”) displays andfield emission displays. Other features, aspects, and advantages willbecome apparent from the description, the drawings and the claims. Notethat the relative dimensions of the following figures may not be drawnto scale.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an example of an isometric view depicting two adjacentpixels in a series of pixels of an interferometric modulator (IMOD)display device.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a system block diagram illustrating anelectronic device incorporating a 3×3 interferometric modulator display.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a diagram illustrating movable reflectivelayer position versus applied voltage for the interferometric modulatorof FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a table illustrating various states of aninterferometric modulator when various common and segment voltages areapplied.

FIG. 5A shows an example of a diagram illustrating a frame of displaydata in the 3×3 interferometric modulator display of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5B shows an example of a timing diagram for common and segmentsignals that may be used to write the frame of display data illustratedin FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6A shows an example of a partial cross-section of theinterferometric modulator display of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 6B-6E show examples of cross-sections of varying implementationsof interferometric modulators.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a flow diagram illustrating a manufacturingprocess for an interferometric modulator.

FIGS. 8A-8E show examples of cross-sectional schematic illustrations ofvarious stages in a method of making an interferometric modulator.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a flow diagram illustrating a manufacturingprocess for a MIM capacitor.

FIGS. 10A-10D show examples of schematic illustrations of a MIMcapacitor at various stages in the manufacturing process.

FIGS. 11A and 11B shows examples of top-down views of a plurality ofvias that may be formed in a glass substrate.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a flow diagram illustrating a manufacturingprocess for a glass interposer.

FIGS. 13A-13F show examples of schematic illustrations of a glassinterposer at various stages in the manufacturing process.

FIG. 13G shows an example of a cross-sectional schematic illustration ofa glass interposer electrically connecting a first electronic componentto a second electronic component.

FIGS. 14A and 14B show examples of system block diagrams illustrating adisplay device that includes a plurality of interferometric modulators.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicatelike elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is directed to certain implementations for thepurposes of describing the innovative aspects of this disclosure.However, a person having ordinary skill in the art will readilyrecognize that the teachings herein can be applied in a multitude ofdifferent ways. The described implementations may be implemented in anydevice or system that can be configured to display an image, whether inmotion (e.g., video) or stationary (e.g., still image), and whethertextual, graphical or pictorial. More particularly, it is contemplatedthat the described implementations may be included in or associated witha variety of electronic devices such as, but not limited to: mobiletelephones, multimedia Internet enabled cellular telephones, mobiletelevision receivers, wireless devices, smartphones, Bluetooth® devices,personal data assistants (PDAs), wireless electronic mail receivers,hand-held or portable computers, netbooks, notebooks, smartbooks,tablets, printers, copiers, scanners, facsimile devices, GPSreceivers/navigators, cameras, MP3 players, camcorders, game consoles,wrist watches, clocks, calculators, television monitors, flat paneldisplays, electronic reading devices (i.e., e-readers), computermonitors, auto displays (including odometer and speedometer displays,etc.), cockpit controls and/or displays, camera view displays (such asthe display of a rear view camera in a vehicle), electronic photographs,electronic billboards or signs, projectors, architectural structures,microwaves, refrigerators, stereo systems, cassette recorders orplayers, DVD players, CD players, VCRs, radios, portable memory chips,washers, dryers, washer/dryers, parking meters, packaging (such as inelectromechanical systems (EMS), microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)and non-MEMS applications), aesthetic structures (e.g., display ofimages on a piece of jewelry) and a variety of EMS devices. Theteachings herein also can be used in non-display applications such as,but not limited to, electronic switching devices, radio frequencyfilters, sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, motion-sensing devices,magnetometers, inertial components for consumer electronics, parts ofconsumer electronics products, varactors, liquid crystal devices,electrophoretic devices, drive schemes, manufacturing processes andelectronic test equipment. Thus, the teachings are not intended to belimited to the implementations depicted solely in the Figures, butinstead have wide applicability as will be readily apparent to onehaving ordinary skill in the art.

Some implementations described herein relate to metal-insulator-metal(MIM) capacitors. In some implementations, a MIM capacitor may includetwo metal layers separated by a dielectric layer, all of which aredisposed on a glass substrate. For example, one method of making a MIMcapacitor may include defining at least one via in a glass substrate. Afirst electrode layer may be disposed over surfaces of the glasssubstrate, including surfaces of the at least one via. A dielectriclayer may be disposed on the first electrode layer. A second electrodelayer may be disposed on the dielectric layer, with the dielectric layerelectrically isolating the first electrode layer from the secondelectrode layer.

Particular implementations of the subject matter described in thisdisclosure can be implemented to realize one or more of the followingpotential advantages. In some implementations, a glass substrate may beless expensive than other substrates, such as silicon, for example. Italso may be less expensive to perform processing on glass compared toother substrates, such as silicon, for example. In some implementations,a glass substrate on which a MIM capacitor is disposed may function asan interposer. With the MIM capacitor disposed on the glass substratefunctioning as an interposer, the distance of the MIM capacitor fromelectronic components (e.g., an integrated circuit and a printed circuitboard) that the interposer is interconnecting may be reduced, which mayreduce the signal to noise ratio.

An example of a suitable EMS or MEMS device, to which the describedimplementations may apply, is a reflective display device. Reflectivedisplay devices can incorporate interferometric modulators (IMODs) toselectively absorb and/or reflect light incident thereon usingprinciples of optical interference. IMODs can include an absorber, areflector that is movable with respect to the absorber, and an opticalresonant cavity defined between the absorber and the reflector. Thereflector can be moved to two or more different positions, which canchange the size of the optical resonant cavity and thereby affect thereflectance of the interferometric modulator. The reflectance spectrumsof IMODs can create fairly broad spectral bands which can be shiftedacross the visible wavelengths to generate different colors. Theposition of the spectral band can be adjusted by changing the thicknessof the optical resonant cavity, i.e., by changing the position of thereflector.

FIG. 1 shows an example of an isometric view depicting two adjacentpixels in a series of pixels of an interferometric modulator (IMOD)display device. The IMOD display device includes one or moreinterferometric MEMS display elements. In these devices, the pixels ofthe MEMS display elements can be in either a bright or dark state. Inthe bright (“relaxed,” “open” or “on”) state, the display elementreflects a large portion of incident visible light, e.g., to a user.Conversely, in the dark (“actuated,” “closed” or “off”) state, thedisplay element reflects little incident visible light. In someimplementations, the light reflectance properties of the on and offstates may be reversed. MEMS pixels can be configured to reflectpredominantly at particular wavelengths allowing for a color display inaddition to black and white.

The IMOD display device can include a row/column array of IMODs. EachIMOD can include a pair of reflective layers, i.e., a movable reflectivelayer and a fixed partially reflective layer, positioned at a variableand controllable distance from each other to form an air gap (alsoreferred to as an optical gap or cavity). The movable reflective layermay be moved between at least two positions. In a first position, i.e.,a relaxed position, the movable reflective layer can be positioned at arelatively large distance from the fixed partially reflective layer. Ina second position, i.e., an actuated position, the movable reflectivelayer can be positioned more closely to the partially reflective layer.Incident light that reflects from the two layers can interfereconstructively or destructively depending on the position of the movablereflective layer, producing either an overall reflective ornon-reflective state for each pixel. In some implementations, the IMODmay be in a reflective state when unactuated, reflecting light withinthe visible spectrum, and may be in a dark state when unactuated,reflecting light outside of the visible range (e.g., infrared light). Insome other implementations, however, an IMOD may be in a dark state whenunactuated, and in a reflective state when actuated. In someimplementations, the introduction of an applied voltage can drive thepixels to change states. In some other implementations, an appliedcharge can drive the pixels to change states.

The depicted portion of the pixel array in FIG. 1 includes two adjacentinterferometric modulators 12. In the IMOD 12 on the left (asillustrated), a movable reflective layer 14 is illustrated in a relaxedposition at a predetermined distance from an optical stack 16, whichincludes a partially reflective layer. The voltage V₀ applied across theIMOD 12 on the left is insufficient to cause actuation of the movablereflective layer 14. In the IMOD 12 on the right, the movable reflectivelayer 14 is illustrated in an actuated position near or adjacent theoptical stack 16. The voltage V_(bias) applied across the IMOD 12 on theright is sufficient to maintain the movable reflective layer 14 in theactuated position.

In FIG. 1, the reflective properties of pixels 12 are generallyillustrated with arrows 13 indicating light incident upon the pixels 12,and light 15 reflecting from the IMOD 12 on the left. Although notillustrated in detail, it will be understood by one having ordinaryskill in the art that most of the light 13 incident upon the pixels 12will be transmitted through the transparent substrate 20, toward theoptical stack 16. A portion of the light incident upon the optical stack16 will be transmitted through the partially reflective layer of theoptical stack 16, and a portion will be reflected back through thetransparent substrate 20. The portion of light 13 that is transmittedthrough the optical stack 16 will be reflected at the movable reflectivelayer 14, back toward (and through) the transparent substrate 20.Interference (constructive or destructive) between the light reflectedfrom the partially reflective layer of the optical stack 16 and thelight reflected from the movable reflective layer 14 will determine thewavelength(s) of light 15 reflected from the IMOD 12.

The optical stack 16 can include a single layer or several layers. Thelayer(s) can include one or more of an electrode layer, a partiallyreflective and partially transmissive layer and a transparent dielectriclayer. In some implementations, the optical stack 16 is electricallyconductive, partially transparent and partially reflective, and may befabricated, for example, by depositing one or more of the above layersonto a transparent substrate 20. The electrode layer can be formed froma variety of materials, such as various metals, for example indium tinoxide (ITO). The partially reflective layer can be formed from a varietyof materials that are partially reflective, such as various metals,e.g., chromium (Cr), semiconductors, and dielectrics. The partiallyreflective layer can be formed of one or more layers of materials, andeach of the layers can be formed of a single material or a combinationof materials. In some implementations, the optical stack 16 can includea single semi-transparent thickness of metal or semiconductor whichserves as both an optical absorber and conductor, while different, moreconductive layers or portions (e.g., of the optical stack 16 or of otherstructures of the IMOD) can serve to bus signals between IMOD pixels.The optical stack 16 also can include one or more insulating ordielectric layers covering one or more conductive layers or aconductive/absorptive layer.

In some implementations, the layer(s) of the optical stack 16 can bepatterned into parallel strips, and may form row electrodes in a displaydevice as described further below. As will be understood by one havingordinary skill in the art, the term “patterned” is used herein to referto masking as well as etching processes. In some implementations, ahighly conductive and reflective material, such as aluminum (Al), may beused for the movable reflective layer 14, and these strips may formcolumn electrodes in a display device. The movable reflective layer 14may be formed as a series of parallel strips of a deposited metal layeror layers (orthogonal to the row electrodes of the optical stack 16) toform columns deposited on top of posts 18 and an intervening sacrificialmaterial deposited between the posts 18. When the sacrificial materialis etched away, a defined gap 19, or optical cavity, can be formedbetween the movable reflective layer 14 and the optical stack 16. Insome implementations, the spacing between posts 18 may be approximately1-1000 um, while the gap 19 may be less than 10,000 Angstroms (Å).

In some implementations, each pixel of the IMOD, whether in the actuatedor relaxed state, is essentially a capacitor formed by the fixed andmoving reflective layers. When no voltage is applied, the movablereflective layer 14 remains in a mechanically relaxed state, asillustrated by the IMOD 12 on the left in FIG. 1, with the gap 19between the movable reflective layer 14 and optical stack 16. However,when a potential difference, e.g., voltage, is applied to at least oneof a selected row and column, the capacitor formed at the intersectionof the row and column electrodes at the corresponding pixel becomescharged, and electrostatic forces pull the electrodes together. If theapplied voltage exceeds a threshold, the movable reflective layer 14 candeform and move near or against the optical stack 16. A dielectric layer(not shown) within the optical stack 16 may prevent shorting and controlthe separation distance between the layers 14 and 16, as illustrated bythe actuated IMOD 12 on the right in FIG. 1. The behavior is the sameregardless of the polarity of the applied potential difference. Though aseries of pixels in an array may be referred to in some instances as“rows” or “columns,” a person having ordinary skill in the art willreadily understand that referring to one direction as a “row” andanother as a “column” is arbitrary. Restated, in some orientations, therows can be considered columns, and the columns considered to be rows.Furthermore, the display elements may be evenly arranged in orthogonalrows and columns (an “array”), or arranged in non-linear configurations,for example, having certain positional offsets with respect to oneanother (a “mosaic”). The terms “array” and “mosaic” may refer to eitherconfiguration. Thus, although the display is referred to as including an“array” or “mosaic,” the elements themselves need not be arrangedorthogonally to one another, or disposed in an even distribution, in anyinstance, but may include arrangements having asymmetric shapes andunevenly distributed elements.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a system block diagram illustrating anelectronic device incorporating a 3×3 interferometric modulator display.The electronic device includes a processor 21 that may be configured toexecute one or more software modules. In addition to executing anoperating system, the processor 21 may be configured to execute one ormore software applications, including a web browser, a telephoneapplication, an email program, or other software application.

The processor 21 can be configured to communicate with an array driver22. The array driver 22 can include a row driver circuit 24 and a columndriver circuit 26 that provide signals to, e.g., a display array orpanel 30. The cross section of the IMOD display device illustrated inFIG. 1 is shown by the lines 1-1 in FIG. 2. Although FIG. 2 illustratesa 3×3 array of IMODs for the sake of clarity, the display array 30 maycontain a very large number of IMODs, and may have a different number ofIMODs in rows than in columns, and vice versa.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a diagram illustrating movable reflectivelayer position versus applied voltage for the interferometric modulatorof FIG. 1. For MEMS interferometric modulators, the row/column (i.e.,common/segment) write procedure may take advantage of a hysteresisproperty of these devices as illustrated in FIG. 3. An interferometricmodulator may require, for example, about a 10-volt potential differenceto cause the movable reflective layer, or mirror, to change from therelaxed state to the actuated state. When the voltage is reduced fromthat value, the movable reflective layer maintains its state as thevoltage drops back below, e.g., 10 volts, however, the movablereflective layer does not relax completely until the voltage drops below2 volts. Thus, a range of voltage, approximately 3 to 7 volts, as shownin FIG. 3, exists where there is a window of applied voltage withinwhich the device is stable in either the relaxed or actuated state. Thisis referred to herein as the “hysteresis window” or “stability window.”For a display array 30 having the hysteresis characteristics of FIG. 3,the row/column write procedure can be designed to address one or morerows at a time, such that during the addressing of a given row, pixelsin the addressed row that are to be actuated are exposed to a voltagedifference of about 10 volts, and pixels that are to be relaxed areexposed to a voltage difference of near zero volts. After addressing,the pixels are exposed to a steady state or bias voltage difference ofapproximately 5-volts such that they remain in the previous strobingstate. In this example, after being addressed, each pixel sees apotential difference within the “stability window” of about 3-7 volts.This hysteresis property feature enables the pixel design, e.g.,illustrated in FIG. 1, to remain stable in either an actuated or relaxedpre-existing state under the same applied voltage conditions. Since eachIMOD pixel, whether in the actuated or relaxed state, is essentially acapacitor formed by the fixed and moving reflective layers, this stablestate can be held at a steady voltage within the hysteresis windowwithout substantially consuming or losing power. Moreover, essentiallylittle or no current flows into the IMOD pixel if the applied voltagepotential remains substantially fixed.

In some implementations, a frame of an image may be created by applyingdata signals in the form of “segment” voltages along the set of columnelectrodes, in accordance with the desired change (if any) to the stateof the pixels in a given row. Each row of the array can be addressed inturn, such that the frame is written one row at a time. To write thedesired data to the pixels in a first row, segment voltagescorresponding to the desired state of the pixels in the first row can beapplied on the column electrodes, and a first row pulse in the form of aspecific “common” voltage or signal can be applied to the first rowelectrode. The set of segment voltages can then be changed to correspondto the desired change (if any) to the state of the pixels in the secondrow, and a second common voltage can be applied to the second rowelectrode. In some implementations, the pixels in the first row areunaffected by the change in the segment voltages applied along thecolumn electrodes, and remain in the state they were set to during thefirst common voltage row pulse. This process may be repeated for theentire series of rows, or alternatively, columns, in a sequentialfashion to produce the image frame. The frames can be refreshed and/orupdated with new image data by continually repeating this process atsome desired number of frames per second.

The combination of segment and common signals applied across each pixel(that is, the potential difference across each pixel) determines theresulting state of each pixel. FIG. 4 shows an example of a tableillustrating various states of an interferometric modulator when variouscommon and segment voltages are applied. As will be readily understoodby one having ordinary skill in the art, the “segment” voltages can beapplied to either the column electrodes or the row electrodes, and the“common” voltages can be applied to the other of the column electrodesor the row electrodes.

As illustrated in FIG. 4 (as well as in the timing diagram shown in FIG.5B), when a release voltage VC_(REL) is applied along a common line, allinterferometric modulator elements along the common line will be placedin a relaxed state, alternatively referred to as a released orunactuated state, regardless of the voltage applied along the segmentlines, i.e., high segment voltage VS_(H) and low segment voltage VS_(L).In particular, when the release voltage VC_(REL) is applied along acommon line, the potential voltage across the modulator (alternativelyreferred to as a pixel voltage) is within the relaxation window (seeFIG. 3, also referred to as a release window) both when the high segmentvoltage VS_(H) and the low segment voltage VS_(L) are applied along thecorresponding segment line for that pixel.

When a hold voltage is applied on a common line, such as a high holdvoltage VC_(HOLD) _(—) _(H) or a low hold voltage VC_(HOLD) _(—) _(L),the state of the interferometric modulator will remain constant. Forexample, a relaxed IMOD will remain in a relaxed position, and anactuated IMOD will remain in an actuated position. The hold voltages canbe selected such that the pixel voltage will remain within a stabilitywindow both when the high segment voltage VS_(H) and the low segmentvoltage VS_(L) are applied along the corresponding segment line. Thus,the segment voltage swing, i.e., the difference between the high VS_(H)and low segment voltage VS_(L), is less than the width of either thepositive or the negative stability window.

When an addressing, or actuation, voltage is applied on a common line,such as a high addressing voltage VC_(ADD) _(—) _(H) or a low addressingvoltage VC_(ADD) _(—) _(L), data can be selectively written to themodulators along that line by application of segment voltages along therespective segment lines. The segment voltages may be selected such thatactuation is dependent upon the segment voltage applied. When anaddressing voltage is applied along a common line, application of onesegment voltage will result in a pixel voltage within a stabilitywindow, causing the pixel to remain unactuated. In contrast, applicationof the other segment voltage will result in a pixel voltage beyond thestability window, resulting in actuation of the pixel. The particularsegment voltage which causes actuation can vary depending upon whichaddressing voltage is used. In some implementations, when the highaddressing voltage VC_(ADD) _(—) _(H) is applied along the common line,application of the high segment voltage VS_(H) can cause a modulator toremain in its current position, while application of the low segmentvoltage VS_(L) can cause actuation of the modulator. As a corollary, theeffect of the segment voltages can be the opposite when a low addressingvoltage VC_(ADD) _(—) _(L) is applied, with high segment voltage VS_(H)causing actuation of the modulator, and low segment voltage VS_(L)having no effect (i.e., remaining stable) on the state of the modulator.

In some implementations, hold voltages, address voltages, and segmentvoltages may be used which always produce the same polarity potentialdifference across the modulators. In some other implementations, signalscan be used which alternate the polarity of the potential difference ofthe modulators. Alternation of the polarity across the modulators (thatis, alternation of the polarity of write procedures) may reduce orinhibit charge accumulation which could occur after repeated writeoperations of a single polarity.

FIG. 5A shows an example of a diagram illustrating a frame of displaydata in the 3×3 interferometric modulator display of FIG. 2. FIG. 5Bshows an example of a timing diagram for common and segment signals thatmay be used to write the frame of display data illustrated in FIG. 5A.The signals can be applied to the, e.g., 3×3 array of FIG. 2, which willultimately result in the line time 60 e display arrangement illustratedin FIG. 5A. The actuated modulators in FIG. 5A are in a dark-state,i.e., where a substantial portion of the reflected light is outside ofthe visible spectrum so as to result in a dark appearance to, e.g., aviewer. Prior to writing the frame illustrated in FIG. 5A, the pixelscan be in any state, but the write procedure illustrated in the timingdiagram of FIG. 5B presumes that each modulator has been released andresides in an unactuated state before the first line time 60 a.

During the first line time 60 a, a release voltage 70 is applied oncommon line 1; the voltage applied on common line 2 begins at a highhold voltage 72 and moves to a release voltage 70; and a low holdvoltage 76 is applied along common line 3. Thus, the modulators (common1, segment 1), (1,2) and (1,3) along common line 1 remain in a relaxed,or unactuated, state for the duration of the first line time 60 a, themodulators (2,1), (2,2) and (2,3) along common line 2 will move to arelaxed state, and the modulators (3,1), (3,2) and (3,3) along commonline 3 will remain in their previous state. With reference to FIG. 4,the segment voltages applied along segment lines 1, 2 and 3 will have noeffect on the state of the interferometric modulators, as none of commonlines 1, 2 or 3 are being exposed to voltage levels causing actuationduring line time 60 a (i.e., VC_(REL)−relax and VC_(HOLD) _(—)_(L)−stable).

During the second line time 60 b, the voltage on common line 1 moves toa high hold voltage 72, and all modulators along common line 1 remain ina relaxed state regardless of the segment voltage applied because noaddressing, or actuation, voltage was applied on the common line 1. Themodulators along common line 2 remain in a relaxed state due to theapplication of the release voltage 70, and the modulators (3,1), (3,2)and (3,3) along common line 3 will relax when the voltage along commonline 3 moves to a release voltage 70.

During the third line time 60 c, common line 1 is addressed by applyinga high address voltage 74 on common line 1. Because a low segmentvoltage 64 is applied along segment lines 1 and 2 during the applicationof this address voltage, the pixel voltage across modulators (1,1) and(1,2) is greater than the high end of the positive stability window(i.e., the voltage differential exceeded a predefined threshold) of themodulators, and the modulators (1,1) and (1,2) are actuated. Conversely,because a high segment voltage 62 is applied along segment line 3, thepixel voltage across modulator (1,3) is less than that of modulators(1,1) and (1,2), and remains within the positive stability window of themodulator; modulator (1,3) thus remains relaxed. Also during line time60 c, the voltage along common line 2 decreases to a low hold voltage76, and the voltage along common line 3 remains at a release voltage 70,leaving the modulators along common lines 2 and 3 in a relaxed position.

During the fourth line time 60 d, the voltage on common line 1 returnsto a high hold voltage 72, leaving the modulators along common line 1 intheir respective addressed states. The voltage on common line 2 isdecreased to a low address voltage 78. Because a high segment voltage 62is applied along segment line 2, the pixel voltage across modulator(2,2) is below the lower end of the negative stability window of themodulator, causing the modulator (2,2) to actuate. Conversely, because alow segment voltage 64 is applied along segment lines 1 and 3, themodulators (2,1) and (2,3) remain in a relaxed position. The voltage oncommon line 3 increases to a high hold voltage 72, leaving themodulators along common line 3 in a relaxed state.

Finally, during the fifth line time 60 e, the voltage on common line 1remains at high hold voltage 72, and the voltage on common line 2remains at a low hold voltage 76, leaving the modulators along commonlines 1 and 2 in their respective addressed states. The voltage oncommon line 3 increases to a high address voltage 74 to address themodulators along common line 3. As a low segment voltage 64 is appliedon segment lines 2 and 3, the modulators (3,2) and (3,3) actuate, whilethe high segment voltage 62 applied along segment line 1 causesmodulator (3,1) to remain in a relaxed position. Thus, at the end of thefifth line time 60 e, the 3×3 pixel array is in the state shown in FIG.5A, and will remain in that state as long as the hold voltages areapplied along the common lines, regardless of variations in the segmentvoltage which may occur when modulators along other common lines (notshown) are being addressed.

In the timing diagram of FIG. 5B, a given write procedure (i.e., linetimes 60 a-60 e) can include the use of either high hold and addressvoltages, or low hold and address voltages. Once the write procedure hasbeen completed for a given common line (and the common voltage is set tothe hold voltage having the same polarity as the actuation voltage), thepixel voltage remains within a given stability window, and does not passthrough the relaxation window until a release voltage is applied on thatcommon line. Furthermore, as each modulator is released as part of thewrite procedure prior to addressing the modulator, the actuation time ofa modulator, rather than the release time, may determine the necessaryline time. Specifically, in implementations in which the release time ofa modulator is greater than the actuation time, the release voltage maybe applied for longer than a single line time, as depicted in FIG. 5B.In some other implementations, voltages applied along common lines orsegment lines may vary to account for variations in the actuation andrelease voltages of different modulators, such as modulators ofdifferent colors.

The details of the structure of interferometric modulators that operatein accordance with the principles set forth above may vary widely. Forexample, FIGS. 6A-6E show examples of cross-sections of varyingimplementations of interferometric modulators, including the movablereflective layer 14 and its supporting structures. FIG. 6A shows anexample of a partial cross-section of the interferometric modulatordisplay of FIG. 1, where a strip of metal material, i.e., the movablereflective layer 14 is deposited on supports 18 extending orthogonallyfrom the substrate 20. In FIG. 6B, the movable reflective layer 14 ofeach IMOD is generally square or rectangular in shape and attached tosupports at or near the corners, on tethers 32. In FIG. 6C, the movablereflective layer 14 is generally square or rectangular in shape andsuspended from a deformable layer 34, which may include a flexiblemetal. The deformable layer 34 can connect, directly or indirectly, tothe substrate 20 around the perimeter of the movable reflective layer14. These connections are herein referred to as support posts. Theimplementation shown in FIG. 6C has additional benefits deriving fromthe decoupling of the optical functions of the movable reflective layer14 from its mechanical functions, which are carried out by thedeformable layer 34. This decoupling allows the structural design andmaterials used for the reflective layer 14 and those used for thedeformable layer 34 to be optimized independently of one another.

FIG. 6D shows another example of an IMOD, where the movable reflectivelayer 14 includes a reflective sub-layer 14 a. The movable reflectivelayer 14 rests on a support structure, such as support posts 18. Thesupport posts 18 provide separation of the movable reflective layer 14from the lower stationary electrode (i.e., part of the optical stack 16in the illustrated IMOD) so that a gap 19 is formed between the movablereflective layer 14 and the optical stack 16, for example when themovable reflective layer 14 is in a relaxed position. The movablereflective layer 14 also can include a conductive layer 14 c, which maybe configured to serve as an electrode, and a support layer 14 b. Inthis example, the conductive layer 14 c is disposed on one side of thesupport layer 14 b, distal from the substrate 20, and the reflectivesub-layer 14 a is disposed on the other side of the support layer 14 b,proximal to the substrate 20. In some implementations, the reflectivesub-layer 14 a can be conductive and can be disposed between the supportlayer 14 b and the optical stack 16. The support layer 14 b can includeone or more layers of a dielectric material, for example, siliconoxynitride (SiON) or silicon dioxide (SiO₂). In some implementations,the support layer 14 b can be a stack of layers, such as, for example, aSiO₂/SiON/SiO₂ tri-layer stack. Either or both of the reflectivesub-layer 14 a and the conductive layer 14 c can include, e.g., analuminum (Al) alloy with about 0.5% copper (Cu), or another reflectivemetallic material. Employing conductive layers 14 a, 14 c above andbelow the dielectric support layer 14 b can balance stresses and provideenhanced conduction. In some implementations, the reflective sub-layer14 a and the conductive layer 14 c can be formed of different materialsfor a variety of design purposes, such as achieving specific stressprofiles within the movable reflective layer 14.

As illustrated in FIG. 6D, some implementations also can include a blackmask structure 23. The black mask structure 23 can be formed inoptically inactive regions (e.g., between pixels or under posts 18) toabsorb ambient or stray light. The black mask structure 23 also canimprove the optical properties of a display device by inhibiting lightfrom being reflected from or transmitted through inactive portions ofthe display, thereby increasing the contrast ratio. Additionally, theblack mask structure 23 can be conductive and be configured to functionas an electrical bussing layer. In some implementations, the rowelectrodes can be connected to the black mask structure 23 to reduce theresistance of the connected row electrode. The black mask structure 23can be formed using a variety of methods, including deposition andpatterning techniques. The black mask structure 23 can include one ormore layers. For example, in some implementations, the black maskstructure 23 includes a molybdenum-chromium (MoCr) layer that serves asan optical absorber, an SiO₂ layer, and an aluminum alloy that serves asa reflector and a bussing layer, with a thickness in the range of about30-80 Å, 500-1000 Å, and 500-6000 Å, respectively. The one or morelayers can be patterned using a variety of techniques, includingphotolithography and dry etching, including, for example, carbontetrafluoromethane (CF₄) and/or oxygen (O₂) for the MoCr and SiO₂ layersand chlorine (Cl₂) and/or boron trichloride (BCl₃) for the aluminumalloy layer. In some implementations, the black mask 23 can be an etalonor interferometric stack structure. In such interferometric stack blackmask structures 23, the conductive absorbers can be used to transmit orbus signals between lower, stationary electrodes in the optical stack 16of each row or column. In some implementations, a spacer layer 35 canserve to generally electrically isolate the absorber layer 16 a from theconductive layers in the black mask 23.

FIG. 6E shows another example of an IMOD, where the movable reflectivelayer 14 is self-supporting. In contrast with FIG. 6D, theimplementation of FIG. 6E does not include support posts 18. Instead,the movable reflective layer 14 contacts the underlying optical stack 16at multiple locations, and the curvature of the movable reflective layer14 provides sufficient support that the movable reflective layer 14returns to the unactuated position of FIG. 6E when the voltage acrossthe interferometric modulator is insufficient to cause actuation. Theoptical stack 16, which may contain a plurality of several differentlayers, is shown here for clarity including an optical absorber 16 a,and a dielectric 16 b. In some implementations, the optical absorber 16a may serve both as a fixed electrode and as a partially reflectivelayer.

In implementations such as those shown in FIGS. 6A-6E, the IMODsfunction as direct-view devices, in which images are viewed from thefront side of the transparent substrate 20, i.e., the side opposite tothat upon which the modulator is arranged. In these implementations, theback portions of the device (that is, any portion of the display devicebehind the movable reflective layer 14, including, for example, thedeformable layer 34 illustrated in FIG. 6C) can be configured andoperated upon without impacting or negatively affecting the imagequality of the display device, because the reflective layer 14 opticallyshields those portions of the device. For example, in someimplementations a bus structure (not illustrated) can be included behindthe movable reflective layer 14 which provides the ability to separatethe optical properties of the modulator from the electromechanicalproperties of the modulator, such as voltage addressing and themovements that result from such addressing. Additionally, theimplementations of FIGS. 6A-6E can simplify processing, such as, e.g.,patterning.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a flow diagram illustrating a manufacturingprocess 80 for an interferometric modulator, and FIGS. 8A-8E showexamples of cross-sectional schematic illustrations of correspondingstages of such a manufacturing process 80. In some implementations, themanufacturing process 80 can be implemented to manufacture, e.g.,interferometric modulators of the general type illustrated in FIGS. 1and 6, in addition to other blocks not shown in FIG. 7. With referenceto FIGS. 1, 6 and 7, the process 80 begins at block 82 with theformation of the optical stack 16 over the substrate 20. FIG. 8Aillustrates such an optical stack 16 formed over the substrate 20. Thesubstrate 20 may be a transparent substrate such as glass or plastic, itmay be flexible or relatively stiff and unbending, and may have beensubjected to prior preparation processes, e.g., cleaning, to facilitateefficient formation of the optical stack 16. As discussed above, theoptical stack 16 can be electrically conductive, partially transparentand partially reflective and may be fabricated, for example, bydepositing one or more layers having the desired properties onto thetransparent substrate 20. In FIG. 8A, the optical stack 16 includes amultilayer structure having sub-layers 16 a and 16 b, although more orfewer sub-layers may be included in some other implementations. In someimplementations, one of the sub-layers 16 a, 16 b can be configured withboth optically absorptive and conductive properties, such as thecombined conductor/absorber sub-layer 16 a. Additionally, one or more ofthe sub-layers 16 a, 16 b can be patterned into parallel strips, and mayform row electrodes in a display device. Such patterning can beperformed by a masking and etching process or another suitable processknown in the art. In some implementations, one of the sub-layers 16 a,16 b can be an insulating or dielectric layer, such as sub-layer 16 bthat is deposited over one or more metal layers (e.g., one or morereflective and/or conductive layers). In addition, the optical stack 16can be patterned into individual and parallel strips that form the rowsof the display.

The process 80 continues at block 84 with the formation of a sacrificiallayer 25 over the optical stack 16. The sacrificial layer 25 is laterremoved (e.g., at block 90) to form the cavity 19 and thus thesacrificial layer 25 is not shown in the resulting interferometricmodulators 12 illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 8B illustrates a partiallyfabricated device including a sacrificial layer 25 formed over theoptical stack 16. The formation of the sacrificial layer 25 over theoptical stack 16 may include deposition of a xenon difluoride(XeF₂)-etchable material such as molybdenum (Mo) or amorphous silicon(Si), in a thickness selected to provide, after subsequent removal, agap or cavity 19 (see also FIGS. 1 and 8E) having a desired design size.Deposition of the sacrificial material may be carried out usingdeposition techniques such as physical vapor deposition (PVD, e.g.,sputtering), plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), thermalchemical vapor deposition (thermal CVD), or spin-coating.

The process 80 continues at block 86 with the formation of a supportstructure e.g., a post 18 as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 6 and 8C. Theformation of the post 18 may include patterning the sacrificial layer 25to form a support structure aperture, then depositing a material (e.g.,a polymer or an inorganic material, e.g., silicon oxide) into theaperture to form the post 18, using a deposition method such as PVD,PECVD, thermal CVD, or spin-coating. In some implementations, thesupport structure aperture formed in the sacrificial layer can extendthrough both the sacrificial layer 25 and the optical stack 16 to theunderlying substrate 20, so that the lower end of the post 18 contactsthe substrate 20 as illustrated in FIG. 6A. Alternatively, as depictedin FIG. 8C, the aperture formed in the sacrificial layer 25 can extendthrough the sacrificial layer 25, but not through the optical stack 16.For example, FIG. 8E illustrates the lower ends of the support posts 18in contact with an upper surface of the optical stack 16. The post 18,or other support structures, may be formed by depositing a layer ofsupport structure material over the sacrificial layer 25 and patterningto remove portions of the support structure material located away fromapertures in the sacrificial layer 25. The support structures may belocated within the apertures, as illustrated in FIG. 8C, but also can,at least partially, extend over a portion of the sacrificial layer 25.As noted above, the patterning of the sacrificial layer 25 and/or thesupport posts 18 can be performed by a patterning and etching process,but also may be performed by alternative etching methods.

The process 80 continues at block 88 with the formation of a movablereflective layer or membrane such as the movable reflective layer 14illustrated in FIGS. 1, 6 and 8D. The movable reflective layer 14 may beformed by employing one or more deposition processes, e.g., reflectivelayer (e.g., aluminum, aluminum alloy) deposition, along with one ormore patterning, masking, and/or etching processes. The movablereflective layer 14 can be electrically conductive, and referred to asan electrically conductive layer. In some implementations, the movablereflective layer 14 may include a plurality of sub-layers 14 a, 14 b, 14c as shown in FIG. 8D. In some implementations, one or more of thesub-layers, such as sub-layers 14 a, 14 c, may include highly reflectivesub-layers selected for their optical properties, and another sub-layer14 b may include a mechanical sub-layer selected for its mechanicalproperties. Since the sacrificial layer 25 is still present in thepartially fabricated interferometric modulator formed at block 88, themovable reflective layer 14 is typically not movable at this stage. Apartially fabricated IMOD that contains a sacrificial layer 25 also maybe referred to herein as an “unreleased” IMOD. As described above inconnection with FIG. 1, the movable reflective layer 14 can be patternedinto individual and parallel strips that form the columns of thedisplay.

The process 80 continues at block 90 with the formation of a cavity,e.g., cavity 19 as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 6 and 8E. The cavity 19 maybe formed by exposing the sacrificial material 25 (deposited at block84) to an etchant. For example, an etchable sacrificial material such asMo or amorphous Si may be removed by dry chemical etching, e.g., byexposing the sacrificial layer 25 to a gaseous or vaporous etchant, suchas vapors derived from solid XeF₂ for a period of time that is effectiveto remove the desired amount of material, typically selectively removedrelative to the structures surrounding the cavity 19. Other combinationsof etchable sacrificial material and etching methods, e.g. wet etchingand/or plasma etching, also may be used. Since the sacrificial layer 25is removed during block 90, the movable reflective layer 14 is typicallymovable after this stage. After removal of the sacrificial material 25,the resulting fully or partially fabricated IMOD may be referred toherein as a “released” IMOD.

Electronic devices may incorporate IMODs as part of a display of theelectronic device. Such electronic devices also may include othervarious electronic components, including capacitor devices orcapacitors. Two types of capacitors are a metal-insulator-metal (MIM)capacitor and a metal-insulator-metal-insulator-metal (MIMIM) capacitor.Such capacitors also may be referred to as embedded capacitors, embeddeddecoupling capacitors, and co-packaged capacitors.

Many portable or personal electronic devices, like mobile telephones,for example, may incorporate MIM capacitors that are used during theoperation of the devices. With the continuing drive towards thereduction in the size of personal electronic devices, there is also adrive towards the reduction in the size of the electronic components,including MIM capacitors, which are part of the personal electronicdevices. Thus, there is a demand for smaller capacitors that supplysubstantially the same capacitance as larger conventional capacitors.Such smaller capacitors have higher capacitance densities (e.g., acapacitance density of greater than about 200 nanofarads per millimetersquared (nF/mm²)), which can be provided by some implementations of highaspect ratio MIM capacitors as discussed herein.

There are many factors to be considered when developing a high aspectratio MIM capacitor. These factors include the available area for thecapacitor, capacitance density, equivalent series resistance (ESR),equivalent series inductance (ESL), leakage, breakdown voltage, andoperating voltage, etc. When limited to a fixed area, capacitancedensity and ESR may be inversely related. Increasing the capacitancedensity may decrease the ESR, and vice versa. Further, when building ahigh aspect ratio structure, the available materials for the electrodesof a MIM capacitor may be limited due to the available technologies ableto deposit a specific material uniformly on a high aspect ratio feature.For instance, the material used for the electrodes may have a lowresistivity such that thin layers of the material may be used.

As described herein, a MIM capacitor may be fabricated to provide a highcapacitance density combined with a low ESR. For example, a MIMcapacitor having a capacitance density of greater than about 200nanofarads per millimeter squared (nF/mm²), an ESR of about 20 milliohms(mΩ) to 100 mΩ, or less than about 50 mΩ, and a breakdown voltage ofgreater than about 12 volts may be fabricated. A low ESR is important inthe performance of radio frequency (RF) devices, as the electronic noisein a circuit, in general, increases exponentially with increases in ESR.

To aid in the understanding of implementations of MIM capacitors asdescribed herein, one implementation of a manufacturing process for aMIM capacitor, accompanied by top-down and cross-sectional schematicillustrations of a MIM capacitor at various stages in the manufacturingprocess, is set forth below. FIG. 9 shows an example of a flow diagramillustrating a manufacturing process for a MIM capacitor. FIGS. 10A-10Dshow examples of schematic illustrations of a MIM capacitor at variousstages in the manufacturing process. Each of FIGS. 10A-10D showsexamples of both a top-down schematic illustration of the MIM capacitorand a cross-sectional schematic illustration of the MIM capacitorthrough line 1-1 in the top-down schematic illustration.

In the process 900 shown in FIG. 9, patterning techniques, includingmasking as well as etching processes, may be used to define the shapesof the different components of a MIM capacitor. At block 902 of theprocess 900, at least one via is formed in a glass substrate. In someimplementations, the glass substrate may include a display glass, aborosilicate glass, or a photoimageable glass. One example ofphotoimageable glass is APEX™ Glass, manufactured by Life BioscienceInc. (Albuquerque, N. Mex.). Photoimageable glasses are generallyborosilicate-based glasses with oxide additions. In someimplementations, the glass substrate may include a single sheet ofglass, as opposed to a glass substrate including multiple sheets ofglass that may be joined together to form a multi-layered glasssubstrate.

Different process, depending on the glass of the glass substrate, may beused to form the at least one via in the glass substrate. For example,for some glasses, such as a display glass or a borosilicate glass, alaser ablation process or a sandblasting process may be used to form theat least one via. In some implementations, for a photoimageable glass,the at least one via may be formed by exposing the photoimageable glasswhere the at least one via is to be formed to ultraviolet light. A mask,for example, may be used to define the area of the photoimageable glassthat is exposed to ultraviolet light. The photoimageable glass may thenbe exposed to an elevated temperature. Exposing an area of thephotoimageable glass to ultraviolet light and then exposing thephotoimageable glass to an elevated temperature may result in a changeof the structural and/or chemical properties of the area exposed toultraviolet light. As a result, this exposed area may have a higher etchrate than the unexposed area of the photoimageable glass, allowing theat least one via to be etched in the photoimageable glass using an acid(e.g., hydrofluoric acid (HF)).

FIG. 10A shows examples of schematic illustrations of the partiallyfabricated MIM capacitor at this point (e.g., up through block 902) inthe process 900. The MIM capacitor 1000 includes a glass substrate 1002that defines at least one via 1004. In some implementations, the glasssubstrate 1002 may define a plurality of vias. In some implementations,the via 1004 may be a though glass via, as shown in FIG. 10A. In someother implementations, the via 1004 may be a blind via; i.e., the via1004 may be a via that does not pass completely through the glasssubstrate 1002.

Dimensions 1008 and 1010 may each be about 250 microns, in someimplementations. The dimensions 1008 and 1010 may each be about 1millimeter, in some other implementations. The dimensions 1008 and 1010also may each be larger than about 1 millimeter and smaller than about250 microns, or between these two values, in some other implementations.

In some implementations, the glass substrate 1002 may be about 50microns to 1.1 millimeters thick. In some implementations, the via 1004may have an opening on a surface of the glass substrate 1002 of about 2microns to 200 microns. In some implementations, the via 1004 may havean aspect ratio of at least about 10 to 1 (i.e., a ratio of the heightof a via to the width of the via). For example, when the glass substrateis about 50 microns thick, a through glass via may have an opening on asurface of the substrate of about 5 microns or smaller. As anotherexample, when the glass substrate is about 1.1 millimeters thick, athrough glass via may have an opening on a surface of the substrate ofabout 110 microns or smaller. In some other implementations, the via mayhave an aspect ratio of about 10 to 1 to about 25 to 1. The via 1004 mayhave a circular cross section, a square cross section, a hexagonal crosssection, or a cross section of any other shape.

FIGS. 11A and 11B shows examples of top-down views of a plurality viasthat may be formed in a glass substrate. The vias 1102 shown in FIG. 11Ahave a hexagonal cross section. Vias having a hexagonal cross sectioncan be arranged in a pattern or an array in which the vias have a higherpacking density than vias having cross section of other shapes (e.g.,vias having a square cross section or vias having a triangular crosssection), which may serve to increase the capacitance density of the MIMcapacitor. A hexagonal diameter 1114 of a via or the opening of a via(i.e., a principal dimension of the via on the surface of the glasssubstrate) may be about 5 microns to 110 microns, in someimplementations. A spacing 1116 between the vias 1102 may be about 10microns to 300 microns.

FIG. 11B shows another example of a top-down view of a plurality of viasthat may be formed in a glass substrate. The plurality of vias 1102 mayinclude any number of vias. In some implementations, the plurality ofvias may include about 2 vias to 10,000 vias, 50,000 vias, or 90,000vias. The number of vias may vary with the principal dimension of thevias on the surface of the glass substrate and with the spacing betweenthe vias 1102. Further, the number of vias 1102 may vary with thedesired capacitance of the MIM capacitor being formed. For example, oneor a few vias may be used for a picofarad capacitor (e.g., a 1 picofaradcapacitor), whereas tens of thousands of vias may be used for amicrofarad capacitor (e.g., a 65 microfarad capacitor).

Returning to FIG. 9, at block 904, a first electrode layer is depositedover surfaces of the glass substrate. The first electrode layer may bedeposited over surfaces of the glass substrate, including surfaces ofthe at least one via. In some implementations, a dry film mask may beused to define the regions of the glass substrate onto which the firstelectrode layer is deposited. In some implementations, the firstelectrode layer may be deposited using a physical vapor deposition (PVD)process or a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process.

In some other implementations, the first electrode layer may bedeposited using a plating process. For example, a seed layer may firstbe deposited over surfaces of the glass substrate. In someimplementations, the seed layer may be deposited using a CVD process, anatomic layer deposition (ALD) process, or an electroless platingprocess. In some implementations, the seed layer may include titaniumnitride (TiN), ruthenium-titanium nitride (Ru—TiN), platinum (Pt),palladium (Pd), gold (Au), silver (Ag), Cu, nickel (Ni), Mo, or tungsten(W). In some implementations, the seed layer may be about 25 nanometers(nm) to 500 nm thick. After the seed layer is deposited, the firstelectrode layer may be deposited using a plating process, with the seedlayer acting as a nucleation site for the plating process. The platingprocess may be an electroless plating process or an electroplatingprocess. Cu, for example, may be plated onto the seed layer. In someimplementations, the plated metal may not be the same metal as a metalof the seed layer. In some other implementations, the plated metal maybe the same metal as a metal of the seed layer.

FIG. 10B shows examples of schematic illustrations of the partiallyfabricated MIM capacitor at this point (e.g., up through block 904) inthe process 900. The MIM capacitor 1000 includes the glass substrate1002 and a first electrode layer 1016. In some implementations, thefirst electrode layer 1016 may include Cu, a Cu alloy, Pd, Ag, Au, oranother low resistivity metal (e.g., lower than about 13.5×10⁻⁸ohm·meter (Ω·m) at 20 degrees Celsius (° C.)). In some implementations,the first electrode layer 1016 may be about 0.5 microns to 20 micronsthick.

Returning to FIG. 9, at block 906 a dielectric layer 1020 is depositedon the first electrode layer. In some implementations, the dielectriclayer 1020 may be deposited using a CVD process or an ALD process.

FIG. 10C shows examples of schematic illustrations of the partiallyfabricated MIM capacitor at this point (e.g., up through block 906) inthe process 900. The MIM capacitor 1000 includes the glass substrate1002, the first electrode layer 1016, and a dielectric layer 1020. Insome implementations, the dielectric layer 1020 may include zirconiumoxide (ZrO₂), aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), strontium oxide (SrO), strontiumtin oxide (STO), titanium oxide (TiO₂), combinations of layers of thesedifferent oxides, or other dielectrics. In some implementations, thedielectric layer may be about 4 nm to 100 nm thick, or about 10 nm to 35nm thick.

Returning to FIG. 9, at block 908 a second electrode layer is depositedon the dielectric layer. In some implementations, the second electrodelayer may be deposited using a PVD process, a CVD process, or a platingprocess, as described above with respect to the first electrode layer.In some implementations, a dry film mask may be used to define theregions of the dielectric layer onto which the second electrode layer isdeposited.

FIG. 10D shows examples of schematic illustrations of the partiallyfabricated MIM capacitor at this point (e.g., up through block 908) inthe process 900. The MIM capacitor 1000 includes the glass substrate1002, the first electrode layer 1016, the dielectric layer 1020, and asecond electrode layer 1024. The dielectric layer 1020 may electricallyisolate the first electrode layer 1016 from the second electrode layer1024. In some implementations, the second electrode layer 1024 mayinclude Cu, a Cu alloy, Pd, Ag, Au, or another low resistivity metal(e.g., lower than about 13.5×10⁻⁸ Ω·m at 20° C.). In someimplementations, the first electrode layer 1016 and the second electrodelayer 1024 may include the same metal. In some other implementations,the first electrode layer 1016 and the second electrode layer 1024 mayinclude different metals. In some implementations, the second electrodelayer 1024 may be about 0.5 microns to 50 microns thick. In someimplementations, the first electrode layer 1016 and the second electrodelayer 1024 may have about the same thickness. In some otherimplementations, the first electrode layer 1016 and the second electrodelayer 1024 may have different thicknesses.

This completes the manufacturing process for a structure that is capableof yielding a capacitance. For example, a capacitance may be providedbetween the second electrode layer 1024 and the first electrode layer1016 of the MIM capacitor 1000, with the second electrode layer 1024 andthe first electrode layer 1016 being electrically isolated from oneanother by the dielectric layer 1020. Further process operations may beperformed to complete the fabrication of the MIM capacitor, however.

For example, in some implementations, a passivation layer may bedeposited on the partially fabricated MIM capacitor. In someimplementations, the passivation layer may be deposited on the secondelectrode layer 1024 and on exposed areas of the dielectric layer 1020.In some implementations, the passivation layer may be deposited with aPVD process, a CVD process, an ALD process, a spin-on process, anextrusion process, or a lamination process. In some implementations, thepassivation layer may include a dielectric layer. For example, thepassivation layer may include an oxide, such as SiO₂, or a polymer. Insome implementations, the passivation layer may be about 0.2 microns to100 microns thick.

As another example, in some other implementations, a non-oxidizing layermay be deposited on the second electrode layer 1024. In someimplementations, the non-oxidizing layer may TiN, Ru—TiN, Pt, Pd, Au,Mo, or W. In some implementations, the non-oxidizing layer may be about5 nm to 50 nm thick.

The process 900 shown in FIG. 9 may be used to fabricate a MIMcapacitor, as described above. In some implementations, the process 900may include additional process operations, however.

In some implementations, the adhesion of the first electrode layer tothe glass substrate may be poor. For example, when the first electrodelayer is plated onto the glass substrate, the seed layer may delaminatefrom the glass substrate. As another example, the first electrode layermay not plate at all onto the surfaces of the glass substrate.

To improve the adhesion of the first electrode layer to the glasssubstrate, the process 900 may include the additional process operationof depositing a dielectric adhesion layer on the surfaces of the glasssubstrate, including the surfaces of the at least one via, beforedepositing the first electrode layer. In some implementations, thedielectric adhesion layer may include an oxide layer. For example, thedielectric adhesion layer may include SiO₂, Al₂O₃, ZrO₂, hafnium oxide(HfO₂), yttrium oxide (Y₂O₃), tantalum oxide (TaO₂), a SrO/TiO₂ mixture,or SiO₂ doped with other oxides.

In some implementations, the dielectric adhesion layer may be depositedwith an ALD process. ALD is a thin-film deposition technique performedwith one or more chemical reactants, also referred to as precursors. ALDis based on sequential, self-limiting surface reactions. The precursorsmay be sequentially admitted to a reaction chamber in a gaseous statewhere they contact the work piece (i.e., the surface or surfaces thatare being coated). For example, a first precursor may be adsorbed onto asurface when it is admitted to a reaction chamber. Then, the firstprecursor may react with a second precursor at the surface when thesecond precursor is admitted to the reaction chamber. By repeatedlyexposing a surface to alternating sequential pulses of the precursors, athin film of dielectric material may be deposited. ALD processes alsoinclude processes in which a surface is exposed to sequential pulses ofa single precursor, which may deposit a thin film of dielectric materialon the surface. ALD processes generally form a conformal layer, i.e., alayer that faithfully follows the contours of the underlying surface.Because ALD precursors are admitted to a reaction chamber in a gaseousstate and do not depend on being activated by a plasma, and because ALDprocess reaction rates are surface-limited, the film may be deposited onall surfaces in the reaction chamber that are accessible to the gaseousprecursors and suitable for deposition.

For example, in some implementations, an Al₂O₃ dielectric adhesion layermay be deposited using trimethyl aluminum (TMA) as an aluminum precursorgas and at least one of water (H₂O) or ozone (O₃) as an oxygen precursorgas. Other suitable precursor gases are also available. For example,other suitable aluminum precursor gases include tri-isobutyl aluminum(TIBAL), tri-ethyl/methyl aluminum (TEA/TMA), and dimethylaluminumhydride (DMAH).

In some implementations, the dielectric adhesion layer may be about 5 nmto 20 nm thick, or about 5 nm thick. In some implementations, depositinga dielectric adhesion layer of about 5 nm thick may be achieved withabout 100 ALD process cycles.

In some implementations, the first electrode layer may be deposited onthe dielectric adhesion layer using a PVD process, a CVD process, or aplating process. In some other implementations, before depositing thefirst electrode layer onto the dielectric adhesion layer, the dielectricadhesion layer may be treated. In some implementations, the dielectricadhesion layer may be treated by contacting the layer with a sulfuricacid (H₂SO₄) solution. For example, the H₂SO₄ solution may contain about15% sulfuric acid and have a pH of about 5 to 8.2. The sulfuric acidsolution may chemically activate the dielectric adhesion layer such thatcopper, for example, may be plated onto the dielectric adhesion layer.

While the dielectric adhesion layer is described with respect to theadhesion of a first electrode layer to a glass substrate, a dielectricadhesion layer also may improve the adhesion of any metal layer that ispart of an electronic circuit fabricated on a glass substrate.

The process 900 shown in FIG. 9 also may include the additional processoperation of depositing a non-oxidizing layer on the first electrodelayer. In some implementations, the non-oxidizing layer may include TiN,Ru—TiN, Pt, Pd, Au, Mo, or W. In some implementations, the non-oxidizinglayer may be about 5 nm to 50 nm thick.

As shown in FIG. 10D, the second electrode layer 1024 may substantiallyfill the vias. In some implementations, however, the second electrodelayer may not substantially fill the vias. For example, instead of thesecond electrode layer substantially filling the vias, there may behollow regions or voids in the vias. That is, the surface of a via maybe covered with a conformal layer of the second electrode layer, whichdefines a hollow region within the via. In some other implementations,instead of the second electrode layer 1024 substantially filling thevias, the vias may be filled with a dielectric material deposited ontothe second electrode layer 1024. Filling the vias with a dielectricmaterial may add a parasitic capacitance when the MIM capacitor isoperating, however.

In some implementations, the apparatus described herein may function asinterposers. An interposer may serve to electrically connect a firstelectronic component to a second electronic component. For example, aninterposer may electrically connect an integrated circuit to a printedcircuit board. When a glass substrate serves as an interposer, a MIMcapacitor on the glass substrate may function as a decoupling capacitor.A decoupling capacitor may function to decouple one part of anelectronic circuit from another. The decoupling capacitor may beconfigured as a shunt between the two parts of the electronic circuit,such that the effect of electronic noise generated by a first part ofthe electronic circuit on a second part of the electronic circuit may bereduced.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a flow diagram illustrating a manufacturingprocess for a glass interposer. FIGS. 13A-13F show examples of schematicillustrations of a glass interposer at various stages in themanufacturing process. Each of FIGS. 13A-13F shows examples of both atop-down schematic illustration of the glass interposer and across-sectional schematic illustration of the glass interposer throughline 1-1 in the top-down schematic illustration. Some implementations ofthe process 1200 shown in FIG. 12 may be similar to some implementationsof the process 900. In the process 1200, however, through glass vias maybe formed in the glass substrate that may serve as interconnects forelectronic components. FIG. 13G shows an example of a cross-sectionalschematic illustration of a glass interposer electrically connecting afirst electronic component to a second electronic component. Further, inthe process 1200, two MIM capacitors are formed simultaneously. Two,three, or more MIM capacitors may be fabricated simultaneously with theprocesses 900 and 1200. In the process 1200 shown in FIG. 12, patterningtechniques, including masking as well as etching processes, may be usedto define the shapes of the different components of the glass interposerduring the manufacturing process. The process 1200 is described further,below.

At block 1202 of the process 1200, at least one via and at least onethrough glass via are formed in a glass substrate. In someimplementations, the glass substrate may include a display glass, aborosilicate glass, or a photoimageable glass. Different process,depending on the glass of the glass substrate, may be used to form theat least one via and the at least one through glass via in the glasssubstrate, as described with respect to block 902 of the process 900. Insome implementations, forming the at least one via and the at least onethrough glass via may be performed substantially simultaneously.

FIG. 13A shows examples of schematic illustrations of the partiallyfabricated glass interposer (e.g., up through block 1202) in the process1200. The glass interposer 1300 includes a glass substrate 1302 thatdefines at least one via 1304 and at least one through glass via 1306.In some implementations, the glass substrate 1302 may define a pluralityof vias and a plurality of through glass vias. The at least one via 1304may become part of a structure that forms a MIM capacitor, and the atleast one though glass via 1306 may become part of a structure thatserves to electrically connect two electronic components.

In some implementations, the glass substrate 1302 may be about 50microns to 1.1 millimeters thick. In some implementations, the via 1304may define an opening on a surface of the glass substrate 1302 of about2 microns to 200 microns. In some implementations, the via 1304 may havean aspect ratio of at least about 10 to 1 (i.e., a ratio of the heightof a via to the width of the via). In some implementations, the throughglass via 1306 may have an opening on a surface of the glass substrate1302 of about 80 microns to 300 microns. The via 1304 and the throughglass via 1306 may have a circular cross section, a square crosssection, a hexagonal cross section, or a cross section of any othershape. For example, in some implementations, when the substrate definesa plurality of vias, the vias may have a hexagonal cross section, asdescribed with respect to FIGS. 11A and 11B.

Returning to FIG. 12, at block 1204 a first electrode layer is depositedover surfaces of the glass substrate. The first electrode layer may bedeposited over surfaces of the glass substrate, including surfaces ofthe at least one via. In some implementations, the first electrode layermay be deposited using a PVD process, a CVD process, or a platingprocess, as described with respect to block 904 in the process 900. Insome implementations, a dry film mask may be used to define the regionsof the glass substrate onto which the first electrode layer isdeposited.

FIG. 13B shows examples of schematic illustrations of the partiallyfabricated glass interposer at this point (e.g., up through block 1204)in the process 1200. The glass interposer 1300 includes the glasssubstrate 1302 and a first electrode layer 1316 forming an electrode ofa first MIM capacitor 1317 and the first electrode layer 1318 forming anelectrode of a second MIM capacitor 1319. In some implementations, thefirst electrode layer may include Cu, a Cu alloy, Pd, Ag, Au, or anotherlow resistivity metal. In some implementations, the first electrodelayer may be about 0.5 microns to 20 microns thick.

Returning to FIG. 12, at block 1206, a dielectric layer is deposited onthe first electrode layer. In some implementations, the dielectric layermay be deposited using a CVD process or an ALD process.

FIG. 13C shows examples of schematic illustrations of the partiallyfabricated glass interposer at this point (e.g., up through block 1206)in the process 1200. The glass interposer 1300 includes the glasssubstrate 1302, the first electrode layer 1316 and 1318, and adielectric layer 1320. In some implementations, the dielectric layer mayinclude ZrO₂, Al₂O₃, SrO, STO, TiO₂, combinations of layers of thesedifferent oxides, or other dielectrics. In some implementations, thedielectric layer may be about 4 nm to 100 nm thick, or about 10 nm to 35nm thick.

Returning to FIG. 12, at block 1208 a second electrode layer isdeposited on the dielectric layer. In some implementations, the secondelectrode layer may be deposited using a PVD process, a CVD process, ora plating process, as described above with respect to the firstelectrode layer. In some implementations, a dry film mask may be used todefine the regions of the dielectric layer onto which the secondelectrode layer is deposited.

FIG. 13D shows examples of schematic illustrations of the partiallyfabricated glass interposer at this point (e.g., up through block 1208)in the process 1200. The glass interposer 1300 includes the glasssubstrate 1302, the first electrode layer 1316 and 1318, the dielectriclayer 1320, and a second electrode layer 1326, 1328, and 1330. Thesecond electrode layer 1326 may form an electrode of the first MIMcapacitor 1317 and the second electrode layer 1328 may form an electrodeof the second MIM capacitor 1319. The second electrode layer 1330 mayform an interconnect associated with the through glass via 1306 of theglass interposer 1300. The dielectric layer 1320 may electricallyisolate the first electrode layer 1316 from the second electrode layer1326 of the first MIM capacitor 1317. Similarly, the dielectric layer1320 may electrically isolate the first electrode layer 1318 from thesecond electrode layer 1328 of the second MIM capacitor 1919. In someimplementations, the second electrode layers 1326 and 1328 may includeCu, a Cu alloy, Pd, Ag, Au, or another low resistivity metal. In someimplementations, the second electrode layers 1326 and 1328 may be about0.5 microns to 50 microns thick.

Returning to FIG. 12, at block 1210, a passivation layer is deposited.In some implementations, the passivation layer may be deposited with aPVD process, a CVD process, an ALD process, a spin-on process, anextrusion process, or a lamination process. In some implementations, thepassivation layer may include a dielectric layer. For example, thepassivation layer may include an oxide, such as SiO₂, or a polymer. Insome implementations, the passivation layer may be about 0.2 microns to100 microns thick.

FIG. 13E shows examples of schematic illustrations of the partiallyfabricated glass interposer at this point (e.g., up through block 1210)in the process 1200. The glass interposer 1300 includes the glasssubstrate 1302, the first electrode layer 1316 and 1318, the dielectriclayer 1320, the second electrode layer 1326, 1328, and 1330, and apassivation layer 1336. Some regions of the first electrode layer 1316and 1318 and the second electrode layer 1326, 1328, and 1330 may not becovered with the passivation layer 1336 so that electrical contact maybe made with the electrode layers. See, for example, region 1338 shownin FIG. 13E.

Returning to FIG. 12, at block 1212 interconnect pads are plated on thepassivation layer. The interconnect pads may be used to provideelectrical contact to the first electrode layers 1316 and 1318 and thesecond electrode layers 1326, 1328, and 1330 using the regions of thefirst electrode layers 1316 and 1318 and the second electrode layers1326, 1328, and 1330 not covered with the passivation layer 1336.

In a plating process, a seed layer may first be deposited on surfaces ofthe partially fabricated glass interposer. In some implementations, theseed layer may be deposited using a CVD process, an ALD process, or anelectroless plating process. In some implementations, the seed layer mayinclude TiN, Ru—TiN, Pt, Pd, Au, Ag, Cu, Ni, Mo, or W. In someimplementations, the seed layer may be about 25 nm to 500 nm thick.After the seed layer is deposited, in some implementations, a dry filmmask may be used to define the regions of the partially fabricated glassinterposer onto which the interconnect pads are plated. Then, theinterconnect pads may be plated, with the seed layer acting as anucleation site for the plating process. The plating process may be anelectroless plating process or an electroplating process. A Cu—Ni—Alalloy, for example, may be plated onto the seed layer. In someimplementations, the plated metal may not be the same metal as a metalof the seed layer. In some other implementations, the plated metal maybe the same metal as a metal of the seed layer.

FIG. 13F shows examples of schematic illustrations of the fabricatedglass interposer at this point (e.g., up through block 1212) in theprocess 1200. The glass interposer 1300 includes the glass substrate1302, the first electrode layers 1316 and 1318, the dielectric layer1320, the second electrode layers 1326, 1328, and 1330, a passivationlayer 1336, and an interconnect pad 1340. All of the regions of thefirst electrode layers 1316 and 1318 and the second electrode layers1326, 1328, and 1330 not covered with the passivation layer 1336 mayinclude an associated interconnect pad.

FIG. 13G shows an example of a cross-sectional schematic illustration ofthe glass interposer 1300 electrically connecting a first electroniccomponent 1352 to a second electronic component 1354. For example, thefirst electronic component 1352 may be an integrated circuit or asilicon die and the second electronic component 1354 may be a printedcircuit board, an organic substrate, or a ceramic substrate. In someimplementations, the first electronic component 1352 may include two ormore silicon dies. A solder ball 1356 of an appropriate soldermetallurgy may be used to electrically connect, for example, the firstelectronic component 1352 to the interconnect pad 1340 of the glassinterposer 1300. Similarly, solder balls may be used to connect otherinterconnect pads of the glass interposer 1300 to the first electroniccomponent 1352 and to the second electronic component 1354. In someother implementations, a Cu pillar or rod though the glass substrate mayelectrically connect the first electronic component 1352 to the secondelectronic component 1354.

Additional configurations of the MIM capacitors disclosed herein arepossible. For example, additional electrode layers and dielectric layersmay be added to the MIM capacitors disclosed herein to further increasethe capacitance density of the capacitor. Adding one additionaldielectric layer and one additional electrode layer to a MIM capacitormay form a MIMIM capacitor, for example. A MIMIM capacitor may havetwice the capacitance density compared to a similarly sized MIMcapacitor.

Further, operations of the processes 900 and 1200 shown in FIGS. 9 and12, respectively, may be combined and/or rearranged to form any of theMIM capacitors or other capacitors disclosed herein. For example, tofabricate a MIMIM capacitor, further metal deposition and dielectricdeposition operations may be performed to form the additional electrodeand dielectric layers in the MIMIM capacitor.

FIGS. 14A and 14B show examples of system block diagrams illustrating adisplay device 40 that includes a plurality of interferometricmodulators. The display device 40 can be, for example, a smart phone, acellular or mobile telephone. However, the same components of thedisplay device 40 or slight variations thereof are also illustrative ofvarious types of display devices such as televisions, tablets,e-readers, hand-held devices and portable media players.

The display device 40 includes a housing 41, a display 30, an antenna43, a speaker 45, an input device 48 and a microphone 46. The housing 41can be formed from any of a variety of manufacturing processes,including injection molding, and vacuum forming. In addition, thehousing 41 may be made from any of a variety of materials, including,but not limited to: plastic, metal, glass, rubber and ceramic, or acombination thereof. The housing 41 can include removable portions (notshown) that may be interchanged with other removable portions ofdifferent color, or containing different logos, pictures, or symbols.

The display 30 may be any of a variety of displays, including abi-stable or analog display, as described herein. The display 30 alsocan be configured to include a flat-panel display, such as plasma, EL,OLED, STN LCD, or TFT LCD, or a non-flat-panel display, such as a CRT orother tube device. In addition, the display 30 can include aninterferometric modulator display, as described herein.

The components of the display device 40 are schematically illustrated inFIG. 14B. The display device 40 includes a housing 41 and can includeadditional components at least partially enclosed therein. For example,the display device 40 includes a network interface 27 that includes anantenna 43 which is coupled to a transceiver 47. The transceiver 47 isconnected to a processor 21, which is connected to conditioning hardware52. The conditioning hardware 52 may be configured to condition a signal(e.g., filter a signal). The conditioning hardware 52 is connected to aspeaker 45 and a microphone 46. The processor 21 is also connected to aninput device 48 and a driver controller 29. The driver controller 29 iscoupled to a frame buffer 28, and to an array driver 22, which in turnis coupled to a display array 30. In some implementations, a powersupply 50 can provide power to substantially all components in theparticular display device 40 design.

The network interface 27 includes the antenna 43 and the transceiver 47so that the display device 40 can communicate with one or more devicesover a network. The network interface 27 also may have some processingcapabilities to relieve, for example, data processing requirements ofthe processor 21. The antenna 43 can transmit and receive signals. Insome implementations, the antenna 43 transmits and receives RF signalsaccording to the IEEE 16.11 standard, including IEEE 16.11(a), (b), or(g), or the IEEE 802.11 standard, including IEEE 802.11a, b, g, n, andfurther implementations thereof. In some other implementations, theantenna 43 transmits and receives RF signals according to the BLUETOOTHstandard. In the case of a cellular telephone, the antenna 43 isdesigned to receive code division multiple access (CDMA), frequencydivision multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA),Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), GSM/General Packet RadioService (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), TerrestrialTrunked Radio (TETRA), Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA), Evolution Data Optimized(EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO Rev A, EV-DO Rev B, High Speed Packet Access(HSPA), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed UplinkPacket Access (HSUPA), Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+), LongTerm Evolution (LTE), AMPS, or other known signals that are used tocommunicate within a wireless network, such as a system utilizing 3G or4G technology. The transceiver 47 can pre-process the signals receivedfrom the antenna 43 so that they may be received by and furthermanipulated by the processor 21. The transceiver 47 also can processsignals received from the processor 21 so that they may be transmittedfrom the display device 40 via the antenna 43.

In some implementations, the transceiver 47 can be replaced by areceiver. In addition, in some implementations, the network interface 27can be replaced by an image source, which can store or generate imagedata to be sent to the processor 21. The processor 21 can control theoverall operation of the display device 40. The processor 21 receivesdata, such as compressed image data from the network interface 27 or animage source, and processes the data into raw image data or into aformat that is readily processed into raw image data. The processor 21can send the processed data to the driver controller 29 or to the framebuffer 28 for storage. Raw data typically refers to the information thatidentifies the image characteristics at each location within an image.For example, such image characteristics can include color, saturationand gray-scale level.

The processor 21 can include a microcontroller, CPU, or logic unit tocontrol operation of the display device 40. The conditioning hardware 52may include amplifiers and filters for transmitting signals to thespeaker 45, and for receiving signals from the microphone 46. Theconditioning hardware 52 may be discrete components within the displaydevice 40, or may be incorporated within the processor 21 or othercomponents.

The driver controller 29 can take the raw image data generated by theprocessor 21 either directly from the processor 21 or from the framebuffer 28 and can re-format the raw image data appropriately for highspeed transmission to the array driver 22. In some implementations, thedriver controller 29 can re-format the raw image data into a data flowhaving a raster-like format, such that it has a time order suitable forscanning across the display array 30. Then the driver controller 29sends the formatted information to the array driver 22. Although adriver controller 29, such as an LCD controller, is often associatedwith the system processor 21 as a stand-alone Integrated Circuit (IC),such controllers may be implemented in many ways. For example,controllers may be embedded in the processor 21 as hardware, embedded inthe processor 21 as software, or fully integrated in hardware with thearray driver 22.

The array driver 22 can receive the formatted information from thedriver controller 29 and can re-format the video data into a parallelset of waveforms that are applied many times per second to the hundreds,and sometimes thousands (or more), of leads coming from the display'sx-y matrix of pixels.

In some implementations, the driver controller 29, the array driver 22,and the display array 30 are appropriate for any of the types ofdisplays described herein. For example, the driver controller 29 can bea conventional display controller or a bi-stable display controller(such as an IMOD controller). Additionally, the array driver 22 can be aconventional driver or a bi-stable display driver (such as an IMODdisplay driver). Moreover, the display array 30 can be a conventionaldisplay array or a bi-stable display array (such as a display includingan array of IMODs). In some implementations, the driver controller 29can be integrated with the array driver 22. Such an implementation canbe useful in highly integrated systems, for example, mobile phones,portable-electronic devices, watches or small-area displays.

In some implementations, the input device 48 can be configured to allow,for example, a user to control the operation of the display device 40.The input device 48 can include a keypad, such as a QWERTY keyboard or atelephone keypad, a button, a switch, a rocker, a touch-sensitivescreen, a touch-sensitive screen integrated with display array 30, or apressure- or heat-sensitive membrane. The microphone 46 can beconfigured as an input device for the display device 40. In someimplementations, voice commands through the microphone 46 can be usedfor controlling operations of the display device 40.

The power supply 50 can include a variety of energy storage devices. Forexample, the power supply 50 can be a rechargeable battery, such as anickel-cadmium battery or a lithium-ion battery. In implementationsusing a rechargeable battery, the rechargeable battery may be chargeableusing power coming from, for example, a wall socket or a photovoltaicdevice or array. Alternatively, the rechargeable battery can bewirelessly chargeable. The power supply 50 also can be a renewableenergy source, a capacitor, or a solar cell, including a plastic solarcell or solar-cell paint. The power supply 50 also can be configured toreceive power from a wall outlet.

In some implementations, control programmability resides in the drivercontroller 29 which can be located in several places in the electronicdisplay system. In some other implementations, control programmabilityresides in the array driver 22. The above-described optimization may beimplemented in any number of hardware and/or software components and invarious configurations.

The various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules, circuits andalgorithm steps described in connection with the implementationsdisclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computersoftware, or combinations of both. The interchangeability of hardwareand software has been described generally, in terms of functionality,and illustrated in the various illustrative components, blocks, modules,circuits and steps described above. Whether such functionality isimplemented in hardware or software depends upon the particularapplication and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

The hardware and data processing apparatus used to implement the variousillustrative logics, logical blocks, modules and circuits described inconnection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented orperformed with a general purpose single- or multi-chip processor, adigital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or otherprogrammable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discretehardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform thefunctions described herein. A general purpose processor may be amicroprocessor, or, any conventional processor, controller,microcontroller, or state machine. A processor also may be implementedas a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSPand a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or moremicroprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration. In some implementations, particular steps and methods maybe performed by circuitry that is specific to a given function.

In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented inhardware, digital electronic circuitry, computer software, firmware,including the structures disclosed in this specification and theirstructural equivalents thereof, or in any combination thereof.Implementations of the subject matter described in this specificationalso can be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one ormore modules of computer program instructions, encoded on a computerstorage media for execution by, or to control the operation of, dataprocessing apparatus.

Various modifications to the implementations described in thisdisclosure may be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and thegeneric principles defined herein may be applied to otherimplementations without departing from the spirit or scope of thisdisclosure. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to theimplementations shown herein, but are to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with this disclosure, the principles and the novel featuresdisclosed herein. The word “exemplary” is used exclusively herein tomean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Anyimplementation described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to beconstrued as preferred or advantageous over other possibilities orimplementations. Additionally, a person having ordinary skill in the artwill readily appreciate, the terms “upper” and “lower” are sometimesused for ease of describing the figures, and indicate relative positionscorresponding to the orientation of the figure on a properly orientedpage, and may not reflect the proper orientation of an IMOD asimplemented.

Certain features that are described in this specification in the contextof separate implementations also can be implemented in combination in asingle implementation. Conversely, various features that are describedin the context of a single implementation also can be implemented inmultiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombination.Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certaincombinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more featuresfrom a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from thecombination, and the claimed combination may be directed to asubcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particularorder, a person having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognizethat such operations need not be performed in the particular order shownor in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed,to achieve desirable results. Further, the drawings may schematicallydepict one more example processes in the form of a flow diagram.However, other operations that are not depicted can be incorporated inthe example processes that are schematically illustrated. For example,one or more additional operations can be performed before, after,simultaneously, or between any of the illustrated operations. In certaincircumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.Moreover, the separation of various system components in theimplementations described above should not be understood as requiringsuch separation in all implementations, and it should be understood thatthe described program components and systems can generally be integratedtogether in a single software product or packaged into multiple softwareproducts. Additionally, other implementations are within the scope ofthe following claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claimscan be performed in a different order and still achieve desirableresults.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a glass substrate, theglass substrate defining at least one first via in the glass substrate;a first electrode layer disposed over surfaces of the glass substrate,including surfaces of the at least one first via; a dielectric layerdisposed on the first electrode layer; and a second electrode layerdisposed on the dielectric layer, the dielectric layer electricallyisolating the first electrode layer from the second electrode layer. 2.The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a dielectric adhesionlayer disposed on the surfaces of the glass substrate, including thesurfaces of the at least one first via, wherein the first electrodelayer is disposed on the dielectric adhesion layer.
 3. The apparatus ofclaim 2, wherein the dielectric adhesion layer includes an oxide.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the glass substrate includes aphotoimageable glass.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the glasssubstrate is about 50 microns to 1.1 millimeters thick.
 6. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the at least one first via defines an opening on asurface of the glass substrate of about 2 microns to 200 microns.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the glass substrate defines a plurality ofvias.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein each via of the plurality ofvias has a hexagonal cross section.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe first electrode layer and the second electrode layer include copper.10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first electrode layer, thedielectric layer, and the second electrode layer form a capacitor, thecapacitor having a capacitance density of at least about 200 nanofaradsper square millimeter.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the atleast one first via in the glass substrate is a through glass via. 12.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one first via in theglass substrate is a blind via.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1, the glasssubstrate further defining at least one second through glass via in theglass substrate.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising: aconductive material covering a surface of the at least one secondthrough glass via to electrically connect a first electronic componentabove the glass substrate to a second electronic component below theglass substrate.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising: aninterposer between the first and second electronic components, theinterposer including the glass substrate and at least one of the firstelectrode layer and the second electrode layer.
 16. The apparatus ofclaim 1, further comprising: a second dielectric layer disposed on thesecond electrode layer; and a third electrode layer disposed on thesecond dielectric layer, the second dielectric layer electricallyisolating the second electrode layer from the third electrode layer. 17.A system comprising the apparatus of claim 1, the system furthercomprising: a display; a processor that is configured to communicatewith the display, the processor being configured to process image data;and a memory device that is configured to communicate with theprocessor.
 18. The system of claim 17, further comprising: a drivercircuit configured to send at least one signal to the display; and acontroller configured to send at least a portion of the image data tothe driver circuit.
 19. The system of claim 17, further comprising: animage source module configured to send the image data to the processor.20. The system of claim 19, wherein the image source module includes atleast one of a receiver, transceiver, and transmitter.
 21. The system ofclaim 17, further comprising: an input device configured to receiveinput data and to communicate the input data to the processor.
 22. Anapparatus comprising: a glass substrate, the glass substrate defining atleast one via in the glass substrate; a first electrode layer disposedover surfaces of the glass substrate, including surfaces of the at leastone via; a second electrode layer; and means for electrically isolatingthe first electrode layer from the second electrode layer.
 23. Theapparatus of claim 22, further comprising: means for improving adhesionof the first electrode layer to the surfaces of the glass substrate. 24.The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the glass substrate further includesmeans for electrically connecting a first electronic component above theglass substrate to a second electronic component below the glasssubstrate.
 25. A method comprising: forming at least one via in a glasssubstrate; depositing a first electrode layer over surfaces of the glasssubstrate, including surfaces of the at least one via; depositing adielectric layer on the first electrode layer; and depositing a secondelectrode layer on the dielectric layer.
 26. The method of claim 25,further comprising: depositing a dielectric adhesion layer on thesurfaces of the glass substrate, including the surfaces of the at leastone via, wherein the first electrode layer is deposited on thedielectric adhesion layer.
 27. The method of claim 26, wherein thedielectric adhesion layer is deposited using an atomic layer depositionprocess.
 28. The method of claim 25, wherein the glass substrateincludes a photoimageable glass, and wherein forming the at least onevia in the photoimageable glass substrate includes: exposing an area ofthe photoimageable glass substrate where the at least one via is to beformed to ultraviolet light; exposing the photoimageable glass substrateto an elevated temperature; and etching the at least one via in thephotoimageable glass substrate with an acid.
 29. The method of claim 25,wherein forming the at least one via in the glass substrate includes atleast one of a sandblasting process and a laser ablation process. 30.The method of claim 25, wherein each of depositing the first electrodelayer and depositing the second electrode layer include: depositing aseed layer with at least one of a chemical vapor deposition process, anatomic layer deposition process, and an electroless plating process; andplating a metal on the seed layer.
 31. The method of claim 25, furthercomprising: forming at least one through glass via in the glasssubstrate, wherein forming the at least one via and the at least onethrough glass via are performed substantially simultaneously.